Railway brake beam



'p 2%, gl. E. c-s. Buss RMLWAY BRAKE BEAM Filed Jan. 3l, l944 INVENTOJL2 Seeis-Sheet VEDWIN BUSS'E ATTORNEY Sep't. 24, 1946. E. G. BussE2,408,015

RAILWAY BRAKE BEAM Filed Jan. 31., 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 35'" @Fvg-El 39v 'ry/111 3 i rlll/111 Q 1N VEN TOR EDWIN e. Bassa.

BYIDLM/4 Q2 ATTORNE Y Patented Sept. 24, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENToFFicr RAILWAY BRAKE.

Edwin G. Busse, Chicago, Ill., assgnor to Chicago` Railway EquipmentCompany, Chicago, Illa. a corporation of Illinois Application January31, 1944, Serial No- 5202459 14 Claims. 1

`The invention relates to railway brake beams ci the built-np tnisstype.and consists primarily in novel end structure for such beams.

Beams of the` type referred to usually comprise a cambered compressionmember oi channel-shape, ll-.shape or similar cross section, brake headsat the ends` ci the compression member each arranged for mounting abrake shoe and 631.011 hallng. @t PQQKQ Ol' .IQQQVQS @Il .Bild Qf. lillecompression member, a strut at the middle of the. beam. apert edv forthe brake lever iulcrum, a. tension., member with, its ends, secured tothe ends. ci the compression member either directly or through thebrake. heads cr other thrust block elements.t

It has long beenL aseneral practice to suspend the brake beam from thebrake frame by swing hangers, the lower ends of which are received inrecesses provided therefor in the brake head and the-upper ends. ofwhich. are seated in brackets on the truck frame,

Another manner of supporting the brake beam is to provide the sideframe, with a bracket adjacent to. the end of the beam and underlying apart of the beam to slidingly support the beam during application andreleasefof the brake, The bracket may engage a. portion of the beamcompression member spaced inwardly from the brake head., as shown inPatent 2.197.785, issued. April 23, 1,9%0,v to the present applicant,vand in D M- Liebt Patent 2,201,4421z issued May 21, 1.940; or may engagean integral extension of the brake beam compression member, as shown ina copending application bythe present applicant iiled July 8, 1942,Serial N'o. 450,154; or by an extension on the tension member or its nutor by an extension on the brake head, asA shown in Patents 2,226,551,issued December 31, 1940, and 2,254,514, issued September 2, 1941, bothto the present applicant. Each of* these arrangements involves a specialconstruction of the compression member of the brake beam.

The main object of the present invention is to afford a simple,effective support from the truck frame ior the end of a built-up truss`type brake beam having the usual compression member and tension memberand, in some forms of the invention, the brake bead. This object may beattained by providing separate thrust block for the end of the brakebeam. adapted to seat the compression member and the brake head and thetensioningr device on` the tension member and to engage the supportingbracket. Additional objects of the invention are to correlate the end ofthe beamI supported as indicated; above, with '2 Y the brake heads soasv to facilitate the assembly and replacement of the head, withoutdisassembling the beam, and to accommodate support of the beam by swinghangers in the usual manner if the intended support vfrom the side frameis not available.

Other detail objects as will appear below are attained by the structure,selected forms of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings inWhich- `1 Figure 1 is a plan View of a brake beam of the type referredto showing adjacent portions or the truck side` frames and beamsupporting brackets and ofthe wheels to which the brake is applied.

VFigure. 2 is a vertical transverse portion through the b eam andshowing the adjacent portion of the side frame and is takenapproximately on the line 2 2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is `an end view of the beam.

Figure 4 is a front View of one end of the beam.

Figure 5 is, a detail longitudinal section through the end of the beamand the adjacent portion ofthe supporting bracket and is taken`approximately Oil. the line 5 5 of Figure 1.

Eigure 6 illustrates, the detail of a wear plate preferably applied tothe end member but omitted from. the other views to avoid confusion.

Figure 7 is end View corresponding to lFig-V ure 3 but illustratinganother form of the involitionV Figure, t is. a horizontal .section cione end of a brake beam and illustrates another 'form of the invention.

Fiebre. 9 is a vertical ,section taken on line S-es or Figure 8.

Figure 1D. is. a rear view of.v the .structure shown in Figures 8 and`9- 1n the. arrangement Figures `1-ii the beam compression member I, isof channel Secf tion.. 'rhe'tensicn rod i, comprises a round bar.- Strut3Y a casting or forging having apertures 4 4forseatmg the braise lever`idlerrrm pin (not shownl- Assembled with the conversing" beam tensionand compression members are end mem-V bers. 5` each having apocket-forming portion 6 open. at one side to receive the end oi theoompression. member which is seated against the inner face 1 of thepocket.. 'Ijhe outer face 8 of the pocket structure `seats a tensioningnut il threaded on the end portion of the tension member, The end memberincludes a sleeve 6a (Figure 2) which surrounds the adjacent portion ofthe tension member, thereby preventing flexing 0f the tension memberabout its threaded portion 3 and prolonging the useful life of thetension member and the beam, as disclosed in E. G. Busse Patent2,319,440, issued May 18, 1943.

A flange structure projects from the end member pocket structure andincludes a portion I I for mounting the brake head I which hasvertically spaced jawsjreceiving"the-flange portion II between them.Vertically disposed rivets R secure the brake head to the end memberindependently of the beam tension and compression members.

The ange has an end portion I3"projecting longitudinally of the beambeyond the vends of the tension and compression members and beyond theside of the brake head and adapted to be received between brackets I 4projecting in- CII wardly from the adjacent truck side frame I5 l and toslide on the brackets transversely of the beam whereby the beam. issupported and guided in its movement towards-and from the truck wheels.Various arrangements of the side frame support elements are illustratedand described in an application liled by the present inventor, Se-

rial No. 503,865, issuedas Patent No. 2,383,955 on f Sept. 4, 1945. Il'preferred, the beam supporting element on the side frame may be integralwith thersde frame.

kPreferably ange portions II andV I3 of the end device are disposedangularly to each other fr so that'the head mounting portion II ispositioned in the same'general horizontal plane as the beam members I,2'and 3, whereby-the beam is adapted to receive the braking forceapplied horizontally by the usual brake pull rods, -bottom connections,letc., while the support-engaging ange'portion I3,.is inclined at anangle` of approximately 12 so that thebeam moves along-a radius of thewheel W as the brakeshoes S are applied to thewheels, thus avoiding atwisting f moment in the beam tension and compression and head memberswhen the beam -as awhole is inclined from the horizontal. YThis givesthe beam greater strength for a given size and weight of material.

Preferably the support engaging portion I3 ofV the -thrust block is.provided with a renewable wear plate. I 'I to extend the useful life ofthe beam, and-the application of this wear plate may befacilitated'byextending it under the brake.

head jaws I2 (see Figure 6). In an emergency, orif the beam is appliedto a truck frame without the brackets opposite the ends of the beam, thebeam may be suspended by a conventional hanger H.

Figure 7 illustrates another form of the invention in which thesupport-engaging portion I8 of the thrust block flange is disposed inthe same general plane as the brake head mounting flange and the beamcompression member, tension member and strut, which arrangement may bepreferable if the Vline yof .thrust of the brake force on thebrake beamis inclined or if the twisting moment resulting from the application ofthe brake force horizontally and the movement of the brake 35 forholding the tension member against ilexing about its threaded end. Theend member 4 has a pair of vertically spaced flanges 36 extending fromits closed side lengthwise of the beam beyond nut 34 on the tensionmember and spaced above and below the same and inclined to the generalplane of the beam to receive between them supporting bracket structure(not shown) `on the adjacent portion` of the truck frame similarly tothe arrangement shown in Figures 1 6.

The brake head 31 is carried by end member 32 but is mounted directlyupon the box-like body portion of the end member, the brake head jaws 38being spaced apart vertically a greater distance than the jaws I2 in thehead previously' described and .extending over the top and bottomwallsof the endmember pocket structure which receives the end portionsof the beam tension and compression members. The head is secured to the'end member by horizontally disposed rivets 39 and the details of thishead and end member .assemblyzare further illustrated, described andclaimed in a copending application by theA .present inventor, SerialYNo. 521,011, led February `It will `be understood that the details ofthe structures may be varied in other` ways than those shown withoutdeparting from thespirit of the invention and that some of the featuresdescribed may be yusedwithout necessarily including all of the featuresdescribed.v iIt is contemplated, for example, that wear plates similarto those shown in Figure 6` may be provided in each form of theinvention and that each of the brake heads may receive thehanger in atoprecess, as indicated at I-I and I-I, or may receive the hanger in acentral recess in the well known manner when the beam is applied toaftruclr frame having the usual brakehanger bracket but notprovidedwith. support and guide brackets opposite to the Gnd of thebeam, Exclusiveluse of those modifications coming within the scope ofthe claims is coriiaemplatedl What is claimedis: 1. In a railwaytrusstype brake beam having a compression member and a tension memberconverging at the end ofthe beam with the ytension memberextendingdiagonally through the end portion and beyond the end of the compres.-sion member, an end device having a pocket receiving the end portions ofsaid members, a tensioning device on the tension member holding the sameand the devicewandlthe compression member in assembledv relation'witheach other and having a structure projectingbeyond said pocket to form aseat for a brake head -and extending longitudinally and. transversely ofthe beam beyond said seat and' arranged to Vslidably engage a support onan adjacent truck part.

2. A brake beam as described in claimA 1 -in which the support-engagingstructure is inclined from the general plane-of the compression andtension members s0 as to-move the beam transF versely `of its generalplane as the support-engaging structure slides over-a support inclinedto the general plane ofthe beam.

3. .Abrake .beamas describedin claiml in which the support-engagingstructure comprises vertically spaced flanges. arranged to receiveasupport flange between them. A

4. In a railway truss type. brake beam having a compressionv memberand atension member converging at theirr ends, an Aenddevice having a pocketstructure mounted on the adjacent ends of said members and. having aflange extending longitudinally of the beambeyond .the ends of thecompression and tension members to slidably engage a supporting bracket,and also extending forwardly from the pocket structure, a tensioningelement seated against the end device and holding the latter and saidmembers assembled, and a brake head spaced inwardly of the beam from thesupport-engaging portion of the flange and having a rearwardly openingjaw receiving said flange to mount the head.,

5. A brake beam as described in claim e in which the portion of theflange projecting beyond the end of the beam tension and compressionmembers is there twisted from the general plane of the beam to slidablyengage a similarly inclined support.

ends of said members and having seats extending transversely of saidplane and facing in opposite directions and arranged to engage saidtensioning element and the end of said compression member respectivelyand having a flange forwardly of the end portions of said members andpositioned in said plane, and a brake head having an open ended jawreceiving said `ila-nge and secured thereto.

7. In a railway truss type brake beam, a compression member, a tensionmember provided with a tensioning device, an end device havingoppositely facing seats for the end of the compression member and forthe tensioning device and also forming a seat for a brake head, and abrake head mounted on said latter-mentioned seat, said end device havinga flange projecting lengthwise of the beam beyond the ends of saidmembers and beyond the side of said head and extending transversely ofthe beam beyond the head mounting seat and arranged to slidably engagean element on the adjacent part of a truck frame to support the beam.

8. In a railway truss type brake beam, a compression member, a tensionmember provided with a tensioning device, an end device having seats forthe end of the Icompression member and for the tensioning device, and abrake head mounted on said end device andl in line with said tensioningdevice, transversely of the beam, said end device having a angeprojecting lengthwise of the beam beyond the ends of said members andbeyond the side of said head and extending transversely of the beambeyond the ends of said members and arranged to slidably engage anelement on the adjacent part of a truck frame to support and guide thebeam as the brakes are applied and released.

9. In a railway truss type brake beam, a compression member, a tensionmember provided with a tensioning device, an end device having a seatfor the end of the compression member and a seat for the tensioningdevice and a seat for a brake head, and a brake head mounted on saidlatter-mentioned seat in line with said tensioning device transverselyof the beam, said end device having a flange projecting lengthwise ofthe beam beyond the ends of said members and beyond the side of saidhead and elongated transversely of the beam beyond the seat for the headto provide extended downwardly and upwardly facing surfaces arrangedY toslidably engage vertically spaced upwardly and downwardly `facingsurfaces on the adjacent part of a truck frame to support and guide thebeam in its movement towards and away from the truck wheels.

' l0. Abrake beam as described in claim 7 in which the compressionmember and tension member are positioned in a common plane and theprojecting ange on the end device is inclined at an angle to said planewhereby the beam as a whole may be disposed horizontally but may beraised and lowered as it slides along the support on the truck frame.

l1. A railway brake beam end member comprising a pocket structure openat one end for receiving the converging end portions of the compressionand tension members of a truss type brake beam, its other end beingapertured for the passage therethrough of the tension member of thebeam, and forming a seat for a tensioning device on the tension member,there being a part projecting from the pocket structure forming a seatfor a brake head and forming a relatively wider ange projectinglongitudinally and transversely of said pocket structure beyond saidhead seat and arranged to support the beam upon an adjacent truck part.

12. A railway brake beam end member as described in claim 11 in whichthe support engaging portion of the ange is disposed at an angle to thehead mounting portion of the flange so as to move the beam transverselyof its general plane as the brakes are applied and released.`

13. A railway brake beam end member comprising a pocket structure openat one end for receiving the converging end portions of the compressionand tension members of a truss type brake beam, a wall at the oppositeend of the pocket structure, one side of which wall forms a seat for theend of the compression member and the other side of which wall forms aseat for a tension device on the tension member, and flange structureprojecting beyond said outer seat and forming a brake head mounting,insertable transversely of a brake head between its jaws, and arelatively wider terminal for engaging a support on an adjacent truckpart.

14. A railway brake beam end member as de- EDWIN G. BUSSE.

